Hogwarts Sydrome
by thecoffindrops
Summary: Harry Potter begins suffering from a persistent delusion that he is a wizard. When Harry's delusions nearly cost him his life, he is admitted to a short term psychiatric hospital. At the hospital, Harry must face his delusions or succumb to them entirely.
1. Chapter 1

"Mrs. Dursley, I am sorry about your loss, but there is the matter of Lily Potter's infant son," the social worker told the crying woman. The social worker, a twenty four year old woman, was nervous. This was her first real case, the relocation of a young boy. She sat on the Dursley's couch, shifting through her file of information as if it would provide answers to how to force Harry Potter onto his relatives.

Petunia Dursley felt a deep pain in her heart. She gripped the arm of the chair she was sitting in, still not used to the news of her sister's death. Lily and she had been distant the past few years, due to Lily running away with her boyfriend at the young age of seventeen, then having the baby not much later. Petunia wiped her eyes and tried to keep a steady gaze at the young red haired girl in front of her, who kept nervously glancing at her file of information, "What about him?"

The social worker tugged at her skirt, "You are the child's only living relative we were able to track down. We do not know where the husband's parents are, nor if they are even still alive. Mrs. Dursley, if you don't take the infant he'll have to go into foster care."

Petunia should have known that this was coming, but she must have blocked it out from her mind. She had arranged the funeral for both Lily and her husband. She had picked out the caskets and closed bank accounts. She had sold their small house and paid movers to box everything up and donate the possessions. She had done all this, yet she hadn't taken the time to consider Harry Potter. Petunia's childhood had been full of Lily's rebellion and now her adulthood would be centered around the product of her recklessness. However, Petunia knew she had no choice, "We'll take the baby."

The social worker beamed, delighted that her first real task as a social worker had been successful, "Excellent! I would like to bring Harry as soon as possible, but you will have at least a week before the paperwork goes through. Are you able to wait until then?"

Numbly, Petunia nodded. Already, she was despairing at the costs of readying the house for another baby. The social worker passed a few sheets of information to Petunia, then let herself out of the house.

Petunia still felt empty as the day went on. She played with Dudley, trying to figure out ways to inform him that the world would no longer be centered around him. She had tried so hard to provide the toddler with a childhood unlike hers, but now that dream was dying. She didn't have the heart to tell him. She went shopping with Dudley throwing a tantrum the whole way. Normally she would snap at him but now she could only wipe his tears and allow him to scream.

When Vernon arrived home, he held her as she told him the news. He didn't quite understand Petunia's bitterness about allowing another child in the house; in fact, Vernon had been considering opening the discussion about a little brother or sister. While adopting his nephew wasn't quite what he had had in mind, he knew he would be able to accept the boy, at least.

"Petunia, we will do our best to provide for this child. You've been grieving for your sister, and now's the chance for you to take care of a little piece of her. He doesn't have to be our son, but he will be a part of this family."

Vernon didn't know this, but these words would set young Harry Potter up for a very distant and damaging childhood.

The baby, as promised, was delivered a week later. Petunia was handed the child by the young social worker as she went over some of the child's information with Petunia and Vernon.

"He was in the car wreck that killed Lily and James. He was injured only slightly. You can see he received a cut on his forehead. As far as we have been told, the scar will remain. Other than that, he is perfectly healthy and should have no lasting damages on the incident. Now, I have some pamphlets about raising adoptive children. It's best that he's so young; he won't remember anything."

Mutely, Petunia nodded as she stared at the baby. He was staring intently at her. His bright green eyes reminded her intensely of her sister. Other than that, Harry didn't resemble Lily in the slightest. She resolved to take care of this baby as well as she could, "Welcome to your new home, Harry."

~0~

The next few years of Harry Potter's life passed uneventfully enough. He wasn't alienated from the family, but he was never quite accepted as a son in Vernon and Petunia's eyes. Dudley was only interested in tormenting Harry, but not even in a brotherly way. Petunia even developed a distant fondness of the boy, but it never grew to the same immense love she had for Dudley.

This disparity manifested in several subtle ways. When the boys were getting ready for school, Petunia would run a brush through young Dudley's hair, but would allow Harry's hair to go in its usual disarray. Both boys had rooms upstairs, yet Dudley's had the air of a loved child, with its cheerful clutter of toys and clothes. Harry's room was sparse, containing only his few books and clothes. Petunia would help Dudley at night with homework at length, but would lose patience with Harry much faster. As the boys grew older, even Vernon's preference for their biological son grew apparent. He would play video games with Dudley to the young boy's heart's content, yet Harry never got the chance to play on Dudley's game systems. Harry had all the basic needs a child requires, yet the lack of love surrounding the child took its toll. Harry was never treated as a son, only as a guest intruding in the Dursley household.

"Aunt Petunia, I'm old enough for you to tell me what really happened to my parents," ten year old Harry asked, his green eyes pleading with his aunt as she was cooking dinner.

Petunia furrowed her brow. This question had become increasingly persistent, "Harry, your parents died in a car crash. You know that."

Harry clenched his fists, "Stop lying to me!"

Petunia slammed the metal spoon into the pot of spaghetti sauce, "Harry Potter, do not accuse me of lying to you. Your parents died in a car wreck and you know it. Now stop with this game or I'll send you to your room without dinner."

Harry screamed. In the end, Vernon was forced to carry the boy upstairs. When Petunia brought his spaghetti up to him later, he was lying on the bed crying, "You hate me because I'm a wizard, don't you?"

Petunia had no idea what to think of this. Harry had always been an imaginative child; she had often seem him in the yard, using a stick as a wand and shouting nonsense. She had dismissed it as typical child play, but now she wasn't so sure.

"Harry, we don't hate you and you know that. Now, you can eat your dinner up here or come down and eat."

He dried his tears and ate his bowl of spaghetti. Petunia figured he was fine and just chalked up his outburst as an imaginative child's way of expressing himself.

Petunia left him in his undecorated bedroom without a hug to console him. While she barely noticed her lack of affection, Harry felt the stirrings of resentment that had become steadily more prevalent.

Harry got up to stare out his window. He knew his Hogwarts letter would come any day now.

~0~

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	2. Chapter 2

"Dudley, go get the mail," Vernon told Dudley one weekend morning.

Dudley grimaced. "Dad, make Harry get it!It's my birthday!"

Attention turned to the small, green eyed boy, "I'm not getting it. You guys make me do everything."

Vernon Dursley turned to Petunia, "I don't think we do, do you?"

Petunia shook her head, "Don't push it. Dudley, get the mail."

Dudley huffed, his double chin shaking as he got up from the table and lumbered to the hall. He sorted through the mail while walking back, but slammed it down on the table when nothing of interest was found. Harry attacked the stack, sorting through it wildly.

"What are you looking for, boy?" Vernon asked, arching a furry eyebrow.

Harry muttered quietly while searching the mail, "My Hogwarts letter. Duh."

When Vernon started to question him, Petunia gripped his arm and shook her head.

Dudley took the chance to torment Harry, a favorite pastime of his, "We're a bit too old for you to be playing make believe. You're not special, there's no letter for you."

"Dudley, stop it," Petunia scolded, "Let's have a good day for Diddykin's birthday, everyone. And that means no bickering from either of you boys."

"Where are my presents?" Dudley near shouted. He being scolded was not normal, and he preferred to gain more positive attention. Petunia's attempts to keep Dudley's childhood free from overshadowing by Harry had more than succeeded; in fact, the boy was beyond spoiled and thoroughly enjoyed the fact.

"We've been hiding them for a while. Daddy will bring them downstairs after we're finished with breakfast," Petunia told him.

Harry knew that Dudley already knew was he was to get; Petunia had forced Harry to help wrap and hide the gifts in her closet. Dudley had pinned the much smaller boy by the throat to a wall, punching him in the gut until he spilled the beans. Later, Harry had been made to act as a watch while Dudley raided his parents' closet.

Later, after Dudley ripped open his new hoards of expensive electronics and gadgets, Piers Polkiss arrived to spend a day at the zoo with the Dursleys. Piers was Harry's least favorite of Dudley's friend. Piers was skinny, like Harry, but in a mean way that vaguely reminded onlookers of a particularly nasty Harry had been in a foul mood throughout the short day, Petunia asked if he wished to go with them or stay with Mrs. Figg from down the street.

Harry stood indignant, "So now you don't even want me to go out with you guys? Are you too embarrassed of me now?" His eyes narrowed and his fists clenched.

"Harry Potter, drop the attitude now or you will be staying home. Your aunt was just trying to be nice. If you want to come along, we'd be happy for you to, but not with how you're acting."

Vernon's words were meant to console the angry child, but Harry only felt the polarization his words had implied. All Harry heard was that he wasn't their child and that they could abandon him at home any second.

Harry said nothing, so the car was loaded up with all three boys and they made the short trip to the local zoo. At the entrance, Piers and Dudley were bought ice creams. When Harry declined to answer what he wanted, Petunia bought him a lemon ice pop. The taste was fine, yet Harry only stewed in the fact that his ice cream was cheaper than the other boys'. Petunia worried about Harry's stony silence, but feared that if she tried to comfort him another outburst would take place.

Harry trailed behind the Dursleys and Piers through the zoo, only absently staring at the different exhibits. He felt a dull rage build inside of him, and it only grew as Piers and Dudley's interest in the zoo waned. They began to take up their usual hobby: tormenting Harry.

As Harry continued to walk along and stopped to peer in the lions' exhibit, he felt first Dudley's meaty fist slam into his back, which was quickly followed by Piers' knobby fist. Petunia noticed that her small, pale nephew was being smacked around by her son, but she failed to stop the attack. Harry was a very small boy, adorned by his messy mop of hair and broken round glasses she had failed to replace. Subconsciously, she began thinking of Harry as the lamb that was to be sacrificed to the lion. She thought Harry wouldn't despair from some cousinly teasing, and was not in the mind to chastise her son on his birthday more than she had to. She turned a blind eye to her son's game.

Petunia didn't know that Harry seen his horsey faced aunt observing the attack. She didn't know that the resentment Harry felt towards his life was only growing with every punch Dudley landed on his small body.

Harry finally broke away and sought refuge beside his uncle. Though a distant uncle, Vernon would not allow Dudley to whale on his cousin in such a public place. Dudley and Piers kept their distance, but Harry knew he would have to face a beating sooner or later.

At the snake exhibit, Harry displayed an interest that had not been present earlier. He ran to the largest snake in the circular room, a large brown boa constrictor. Immediately, Harry struck up a one sided conversation with the snake. Dudley also raced to the snake, as fast as his fat legs could carry him. He shoved Harry out of the way. When Harry hit the hard floor, he screamed, "Eat him! Eat him!"

Harry kept screaming while Dudley and Piers stared in shock. Harry began laughing, as in his mind the large snake climbed out its prison and snapped at the heels of his bullies. Vernon had to pick up the light boy and clamp a hand over his mouth before the yelling and shrieking laughter dimmed. Petunia flushed as she noticed onlookers curiously staring at her nephew.

Harry's episode caused the trip to come to an abrupt end. Harry knew he was in trouble, as even Piers and Dudley were in too great of shock to torment him on the way home. Piers was dropped off at his residence and Vernon started off in a lecture about how Harry had to learn to grow up.

"But, Uncle, the snake was talking to me! It told me I'm a wizard. I already knew but it's just proof. I'm going to Hogwarts and no one can stop me. I can even talk to snakes, that's how good of a wizard I am."

"Harry Potter, stop with that nonsense right now. You are grounded until school lets out for summer. No questions about it. You will go to school, do homework, eat dinner, and go to bed. That's it. This family does not stand for public outbursts."

"I'm not even part of your family. I'm just the stupid nephew everyone hates."

Dudley, who was still sulking, agreed, "You got that right."

Petunia answered sharply, "Shut it, young man, or you will be grounded too."

When they arrived home, Harry ran upstairs to him bedroom. No one had soothed him with statements that he was part of the Dursley family. Dudley had stated the truth, Petunia and Vernon were scared of his magic to admit it. Staring out his bedroom window once again, Harry felt the magic tingling through his veins and wished the letter to come sooner.

~ 0 ~

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	3. Chapter 3

On Monday, Dudley took advantage of recess to get back at Harry for the zoo incident. As Dudley and his gang advanced onto Harry, the other children on the playground didn't even bother too look away. It was a common scene; the much bigger boys would hold Harry Potter down as Dudley Dursley took the chance to beat him.

The other children at St. Grogory's primary school had no real idea why Dudley chose Harry as his victim. The boys' relation was never made public, and that was how Dudley liked it. Harry was regarded as the school freak. He wore secondhand clothes as Petunia didn't believe in throwing away Dudley's old ones. They were far too big on the boy and his small frame swam in them. His glasses were held together with Scotch tape from when Dudley had punched him in the face too often. Overall, Harry was a small, puny boy that made perfect target for bullies. Dudley had been beating on Harry since they both had started at the school. By now, it was accepted fact.

Harry had learned that no bystander would save him. Experience had taught him that only running would save him from Dudley's fists. Luckily, Harry was fast. As soon as he saw Dudley coming towards him, with the determination of an angry bull in his eyes, Harry took off around the building. The teacher on duty didn't even notice.

Harry had planned to merely hide behind the dumpsters, but maintenance had left a ladder leaning against the school. Harry scrambled up it and waited until Dudley came into view. He spit over the side of the building, nearly hitting his large cousin.

"How the hell did you get up there?" Dudley yelled, scanning the building. Once he spotted the ladder, Piers and Dudley exchanged a smirk. Carefully, the boys tipped over the ladder.

Harry was effectively trapped on top of the school, but he displayed no fear. In fact, as soon as the ladder was out of sight, it was out of his mind, "Now you can't get me! Haha!" Harry taunted the boys below.

Dudley shook his head, "He's a blundering idiot, that one. C'mon, let's go tell on him and see if he's laughing then."

Harry felt victorious as Dudley's gang rushed out, but the feeling sank as a teacher came running to find the boy planted on the roof, "Harry Potter! As soon as you get down you are in so much trouble."

Harry contemplated jumping off the roof, but figured he would get in trouble if Muggles saw him fly. He allowed the teacher to prop the ladder up and climbed down. As soon as Harry's duct taped sneakers hit the ground, the teacher had a grip around his upper arm and was dragging him to the headmistress's office.

Headmistress Roemmele was not used to dealing with the Potter boy, but had dealt with the Dursley that was brought along with him. Roemmele greeted Dudley kindly and asked him to have a seat in the main office while she dealt with Harry in her private one.

Headmistress Roemmele took her job seriously and projected that attitude. Her graying hair was tied into a tight bun and her mouth was always set into a stern line. Her gray eyes were the only thing about her that displayed any warmth.

Headmistress Roemmele's office was surgically proficient, just as her appearance was. The walls were blindingly white and her wooden desk was kept in perfect order. She had no pictures or posters along the wall and only kept one picture of her late husband on her polished desk. While her desk chair was comfortable, the chair Harry sat in was large and hard, intentionally causing whoever sat in it to feel nervous and uncomfortable.

Harry now felt the nervousness he had lacked while marooned on the roof. Would the Ministry of Magic be angry that he performed magic to get onto the roof? It was an emergency though; maybe they would excuse it.

"Mr. Potter, tell me about what brought you to my office," Roemmele asked the boy.

"Ms. Anderson did, ma'am." Harry answered, innocently enough.

"I do not play games, young man. I don't recall ever having you in my office, so I am of mind to be lenient. However, I do not take climbing school property lightly."

"But I wasn't climbing! I flew, you see. Dudley, Malcom, Piers, and 'em were chasing me so I went behind the Dumpsters and just flew up. I'm allowed to do magic in emergencies so I won't get into too much trouble. This is an emergency too, so I guess they won't mind me telling just to keep outta trouble," once Harry had decided to spill the beans, that he did. Headmistress Roemmele had never been cruel to him and he was just bursting to share the news of his magical abilities.

Roemmele considered the boy in front of her. He appeared to be speaking in earnest, but in her years of being St. Grogory's headmistress she had been introduced to quite a handful of gifted liars. Young Potter just seemed to be of a more imaginative stock.

"Harry, I don't take to lying."

"But I'm telling you, Dudley and all of 'em were chasing me!" he exclaimed.

Roemmele considered this. She knew Dudley and his friends were something of bullies, but she had never known it to get bad enough to warrant climbing on a roof, "What were they planning to do?"

"They were gonna beat me up! Dudley does it all the time. I was trying to get away so I flew up to the roof," he told her in earnest.

Roemmele believed him, but she couldn't quite figure out why Harry wouldn't admit he just used the ladder. She chose not to push it and nodded, "Harry, I'm going to have to call your parents."

Harry huffed, "Good luck."

Roemmele was bewildered, "Whatever do you mean?"

"They're dead. You're gonna have to call my uncle. He's Dudley's dad," with that, the boy left without a dismissal. Roemmele stayed in her seat a long moment before called the Dursley boy in. Never in her life had she seen a little boy so conflicted. Why had she never noticed Harry Potter before?

Roemmele called Dudley into her office and thoroughly chewed him out. While Dudley tried to paint a story as he being the hero that noticed his dear cousin trapped on the roof, he was nowhere near as gifted a liar as Roemmele considered Harry. She assigned him two detentions to be taken during recess, the same punishment she would assign Harry once she got the chance to talk to the Dursleys.

She decided not to put the call off, as the Dursley/Potter file indicated Mrs. Dursley was a housewife. When she was satisfied both boys had returned to their classes, she called.

"Hello?" Petunia answered.

"Hello, Mrs. Dursley, this is Headmistress Roemmele from St. Grogory's school. I just had both Dudley and Harry in my office. It is to my understanding you are the primary caregiver of both boys?"

Petunia's fist clenched, "Yes, I am. I hope the boys aren't in trouble..?"

"Well, it's a rather unusual situation. Harry was found on top of the roof of a school building. He claims he was chased by Dudley and some of his friends. I've assigned both of the boys detention, starting tomorrow during recess. It's only for two days, which I think is fair."

"Harry was climbing school property?" Petunia asked, automatically getting angry.

"Yes, but your other son was attempting to harm Harry. I think the focus should be on Dudley's behavior. Violence is not tolerated at 's," Roemmele noticed how Petunia's anger had turned towards Harry and attempted to steer it towards the root of the problem.

"Dudley is my only son. Harry is my nephew. He's has been acting out at home, so Dudley's anger is understandable. I'll make sure he remembers to control himself at school. I promise you Harry will behave himself."

Roemmele hesitated to add Petunia's anger, "Mrs. Dursley, I also want to raise a point of concern about Harry. When he was confronted about climbing onto the roof, he claimed he flew on the roof in a burst of magic. It may just be normal childhood imagination, but he was oddly persistent about it."

Petunia remained silent for a long moment. She closed her eyes, blocking out her view of her kitchen, and took a deep breath, "It will be addressed. Thank you."

Petunia chose not to confront the boys when they arrived home. She simply sent Harry up to his room without a further word and told Dudley he was not allowed to leave the house. Dudley sulked the rest of the day while Petunia threw all her excess anger into a fit of cleaning. Both of the boys knew the call home had taken place, so both were too nervous to push their luck with Petunia.

Harry laid on his bed, still fully in his school clothes, and concentrated on feeling the magic spread throughout his extremities. He stayed like this for a long while, until Vernon came home and screamed for him to come downstairs.

Dudley sat on the flowered couch, as he could no longer fit into either of the ugly pink armchairs. Harry claimed an armchair, while Petunia sat in the other and Vernon sat on the couch.

Vernon spoke first, "Boy, your aunt told me about your trouble at school. I thought you knew this already, but we don't accept trouble in this home. I am tired of your fits. You are too damn old to be throwing tantrums in public and getting into all sorts of trouble at school.

Petunia was still angry at Harry implementing Dudley in his crime. It reminded her all too well of Lily blaming Petunia for any trouble she got into, "You will never lie about my son again. We have invited you into our home and provided you all you needed. Now you're going off to your headmistress, lying about your cousin and saying you're some type of magician. You're just a freak, Harry. You need to grow up."

Vernon was surprised at the animosity coming from Petunia, but he decided not to confront her about it. She was right, after all. The boy had been dropped in their lives and had proved a difficult child the whole time.

Harry bolted up from his armchair, his hands clenched into balls and hate written across his face, "I'M A WIZARD. I AM. I HATE YOU!"

He ran upstairs, not thinking about the repercussions.

Petunia felt a pang in her chest. She knew she had been too harsh. Even her anger didn't outweigh the distant type of love she had developed towards him. She wanted to comfort him, but Vernon shook his head no, "Better to let everyone calm down."

Upstairs, Harry was pacing. He was a wizard. His mother was, his father was, and his Hogwarts letter would come. The letter didn't even matter; he could do magic anyways. Harry's eyes lit up when he glanced out the window. If he jumped out it, his magic would save him and he would be unharmed. If it didn't hurt him, they would have to believe him.

He open his bedroom door to shout to his relatives, "I'm gonna prove it to you! You'll see!"

With that, Harry flung open his window. He didn't even have a moment of doubt as he perched himself on the windowsill and threw himself out the second story window headfirst, without even a second thought.

)0(

For real, if anyone is reading this, please review so I can know if I am doing well with this story or not.


	4. Chapter 4

Petunia was the first to spot Harry's broken body on the concrete patio below his window. She had come upstairs to apologize to him after he yelled down to the family, but she had come upstairs to find and empty bedroom and an open window. She rushed to look out the window, praying for nothing more than a broken limb, but Harry lay still in the night.

She screamed as she ran down the stairs, nearly falling. Vernon could only follow her, bewildered, as she ran outside and around the house. As soon as she reached the boy, she had ceased yelling, instead settling for a choking chant of, "Harry, Harry, no."

Vernon was stunned as he watched his wife attempt to scoop her nephew up in her arms. When she had successfully cradled the boy in her arms, she spun and let her eyes fall on Vernon, "Call an ambulance, you idiot!"

Vernon mutely nodded. He left the scene to go inside. He shakily dialed 999 on the cheerful red telephone, which at this moment only served to remind him of the blood he had seen pouring out of Harry's head.

Outside, Petunia positioned the limp boy in her lap until she could see the spot on the top of his head that had split open. His unruly hair hid the visual damage from her, but she knew that Harry was in trouble. She held the boy to her, carefully holding his head, and whispered halting apologies to him.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I'm so, so, so sorry. Lily trusted me with you, I should have been more careful. Oh, my Harry, please wake up. Harry, please. Do it for me," her tears fell on the boy's hair.

A faint moan escaped Harry's lips, "Head...hurts..."

Petunia was never more thrilled to hear a declaration of pain in her life, "It's okay, Harry. The ambulance is coming."

Minutes later, the ambulance did arrive. Carefully, two men in uniform took Petunia's nephew and laid him out on a stretcher. Though Harry had awakened from his brief unconscious state, he was still completely lost to reality.. He smiled as he was loaded into the ambulance, "See, Aunt, I told you. I'm flying. It hurts but that's just 'cause I'm not used to it."

Harry's eyes remained shut as he declared this. The paramedic shut himself, Petunia, and Harry into the back of the truck. He had heard in entirety what Harry had told his aunt, "Sometimes with head injuries, kids get loopy. I'm sure it's fine."

The paramedic introduced himself as John. John set to looking over Harry, "He seems to be okay, overall. Of course, I'm sure he's got some nasty fractures in his skull from landing on his head, and he's got some cuts and scrapes, but the fact that he's talking at all is a great sign."

Petunia nodded thankfully, rubbing one of Harry's hand between her own to warm him.

At the hospital, Harry was immediately given a room and began to be looked over by a doctor and several nurses. While the team was looking over the broken boy, a technician took Petunia just outside the room and asked Petunia routine questions about Harry, such as his name, age, and reason for admittance to the emergency room, "What happened here tonight?"

Petunia sniffled. The tech, a short brunette woman offered her no sympathy. Petunia sighed, "I think he jumped out his window."

The brown haired tech scribbled in a note on her clipboard, "A suicide attempt? Or a runaway attempt?"

Petunia shrugged, "It's a long story."

The tech nodded, understandingly but not sparingly, "Anything you tell will help."

"He's been really persistent about this make believe game of his. He keeps saying that he's a wizard and he's going to this school with some God-awful name. Tonight after we had a bit of a spat, he shouted that he would prove he was a wizard. I think...I think he was trying to fly."

The tech took a long moment to write this information down, "Harry is what, ten years old? Soon to be eleven? Isn't he too old for imaginary games?"

Petunia shrugged again. She felt the gesture summed up her emotions at the moment, "He was never overly imaginative. He had imaginary friends of course, but they stopped around the same time as my son's. Then all of a sudden he became convinced that he and his parents were wizards. God, he even thought we were lying about how his parents died. I don't know what all is going on. He's got into trouble at school and we thought he was just trying to be the center of attention. But now this happened...What little boy throws himself out a window?"

The technician seemed to hesitate, "Mrs. Dursley, have you ever considered getting Harry a psychiatric evaluation?"

Petunia stiffened, "He's not crazy. He's a little boy without his parents. Of course he's going to have some issues."

"I am going to have a doctor talk with Harry about what happened later. We have a couple licensed psychiatric doctors on hand. They will assess this situation and figure out what is best for Harry."

Petunia sat still as a statue, "Is that all the information you need?"

The technician patted Petunia on the shoulder, "Good luck, Mrs. Dursley. I hope Harry does well."

Petunia watched her leave before turning to watch two nurses carefully clean and stitch Harry's wounds. His head wound was cleaned, but it was not stitched up quite yet. The doctor who was looking over Harry glanced over his clipboard once more before leaving the room. He shook hands with Petunia, "Harry looks like he will be totally fine. We are about to do an x-ray of his skull. I suspect he has a fracture, but little kids are resilient."

She whispered her thanks quietly before entering Harry's room. She sat beside his bed as various nurses checked on the dozing boy. She followed the stretcher as Harry was taken to x-ray. She also followed when Harry was taken to get a CT scan. She was there though he chose to spend most of the time sleeping. She had been concerned that he shouldn't sleep due to the concussion, but Doctor A, as he liked to be called, assured her it was fine.

Harry did turn out to have multiple fractures in his skull, but otherwise no damage besides severe bruising and various cuts and scraped from the broken window and the hard concrete. Petunia was of the mind to leave with Harry within a few days, but Dr. A thought otherwise.

"I want Harry admitted to a children's psychiatric unit for a short stay. From what Harry's technician and you have told me, I think Harry's suffering from some type of delusion. This has led him to throwing himself out a window. He's a danger to himself."

Petunia knew this was coming after what the tech had told her. She had even prepared herself. In a psych unit, Harry would get help. She wouldn't have to find his body crumpled on the pavement again. Her stomach clenched as she remembered herself calling Harry a freak. It had been in the heat of the moment, but how would the boy feel when he was told that he was being committed to a loony bin?

In the end, she agreed. It only took a a long look at Harry's injured body to realize that she had no idea how to help him. Dr. A informed her the wait list for a bed on any area unit was at least a few days long, but he wanted to keep Harry at his hospital for a few days to get a jump start on his physical healing, "Fractures only take a few weeks to heal. Luckily, his aren't severe, so within a week or two he should be ready. I'd allow you to take him home, but I just don't think I can trust him to not harm himself."

Harry slept through this agreement, not knowing his immediate future would be wrapped up in pills and group therapy. The sleeping boy was content with dreaming of his beloved Hogwarts.

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As usual, please review! I'm sorry this chapter is sort of short, but I don't think continuing with the next chain of events would have fit in this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry's skull fracture was clean, which the doctor took to be a good sign, "He should be totally fine in about six weeks. In the meantime, I want him to stay here. We have a room for him in our psychiatric ER. He will be constantly supervised, with checkups from both medical and psychiatric doctors. When he is healed well enough, I will have him moved to a short term psychiatric hospital until they can guarantee he is out of danger," the doctor outlined for Petunia and Vernon.

Harry was laying in his hospital bed, watching TV. It had been two days since the incident, and the boy was already restless and ready to leave the hospital room. He was adamant that he would miss his Hogwarts letter, which only made Dr. A more convinced he had to be admitted at the hospital.

Petunia had yet to inform Harry that he would be forcibly admitted to a crazy hospital. She was sure the boy would only feel complete betrayal. She didn't want to cause a scene, so she only reminded Harry to keep his head still and that she would take him home as soon as possible.

"Auntie, I want to go home. I hafta get my letter. I'm tired of being here," Harry whined.

Petunia carefully brushed his hair out of his face, "I know you do. We have to make sure that your head heals. And I'm scared that you'll hurt yourself again."

Harry rolled his eyes, "I was flying. The spell ran out. I won't do it again, especially after I get to Hogwarts. Then, they'll teach me everything! I'll be as good as my mum and dad!"

Petunia gripped the rail of Harry's hospital bed. He looked much to small on the stretcher, surrounded by sterile white and the horrible paintings on the wall, "Harry, once your head is all healed up, the doctor wants you to go to another hospital. A special hospital."

Harry narrowed his brilliant green eyes distrustfully, "Why?"

"Because, honey, we're all scared you're going to get hurt again. Harry, you jumped out a window. You could have been seriously hurt. Hell, you were! You fractured your skull. This hospital will help you so you learn how not to hurt yourself. It'll be okay."

Harry lost himself in thought for a moment, "So...it's like a school? That will teach me how not to hurt myself?"

Petunia took his lack of argument as a good sign, "Yes! Just like a school."

"So you're sending me to Hogwarts after all! I'll learn how to do magic without messing up! It's gonna be great," Harry exclaimed excitedly.

Petunia never felt a moment of despair as great as she did at those words. She barely knew what to say next, "Yes, Harry. It will teach you how to not hurt yourself."

Petunia let him have his moment of bliss while he could.

Petunia visited Harry as much as she could in the next few weeks. They moved him to a special hall on the emergency room intended for holding psychiatric emergencies. A different security guard always sat outside his door in the hall, insuring the boy nor anyone else could not hurt themselves.

It broke her heart to see Harry in this room. He had roommates which routinely cycled out as they were admitted to different psychiatric hospitals or allowed to go home. This part of the ER mandated patients had to wear horrible highlighter yellow T-shirts and maroon paper pants, so they would be noticeable if they wandered off the hallway. Harry's room was devoid of anything capable of harming a person. His TV was boxed in the wall so he was unable to harm himself with a cord.

He was only permitted to have a couple paperback books with him, with he made full use of. Every few days, Petunia would bring him another stack. Harry became increasingly angry at being locked up in the hospital. He became even more distressed when his birthday, a little over a month after Dudley's, came with him still sitting in the same hospital bed.

"I want my letter! I haven't gotten my letter because I'm here. This sucks. I hate you all! I hate Muggles," he yelled loudly, sparking a hateful glare from his roommate, an aging man with schizophrenia who had greeted Petunia with a kind smile.

Petunia shushed Harry, "Look, I've got you new books and I even convinced your new doctor to let me sneak you in some real food. I made you a special cupcake and brought in lunch from McDonald's. C'mon, Harry, please don't cry."

Harry was beside himself. He knew Aunt Petunia was only being nice to him so that she could keep them in this hospital where his Hogwarts letter could not find him, "The owl won't know where to go! It'll get lost and then I'll never get to go," the boy sobbed.

Harry's roommate couldn't help but to chime in, "Don't worry, boy. If that school's worth a damn, your letter will get to you," he winked at Petunia.

Harry did not believe him entirely, but allowed himself to be consoled. Petunia sat with him while he ate his birthday meal, then offered to stick around to keep him company. He refused her offer vehemently, "I gotta read all my textbooks before I go to Hogwarts and the teachers won't like it if I let a Muggle see 'em."

Petunia was about to argue, but the old man had such a violent coughing fit she stopped. Once he was done, he gestured her towards his bed. She recoiled as the man smelled of booze and cigarettes, but insistent gesturing made her lean in.

He whispered, "Lassie, let the boy believe what he wants. I know," he tapped his balding head here with a long finger, "everything that boy talks about, he believes it just as clear as day. I know, I been his roommate for three days now, all this boy talks about is this wizard school he's been accepted to. It makes him happy for right now, let him believe it until the doctors at his new 'ospital tell different. I see and hear things that you don't see, but it's just as real as can be. Me and him, we're alike. Just let the boy be for now."

Petunia just nodded. "Thank you," she whispered.

She bid her farewell to Harry, leaving the small boy with his roommate. She had to choke back a sob; would that be Harry's future? An old man sitting in an emergency room psychiatric hall?

This thought plagued Petunia over the next week. Harry had a whole new round of medical tests run: his skull was x-rayed, a CT scan was conducted, he was told to track the doctor's finger with his eyes, his reflexes were tested, and lastly, his mental health was put to the test again. Always, a doctor in a white coat would come to his little room and draw a white divider between he and his roommate. Then, seated in a small and uncomfortable chair, the doctor would ask Harry a series of questions.

"Harry, have you ever had suicidal thoughts, serious or not?" Harry's newest doctor asked, an old woman with a long gray braid who went by Dr. Bourge. When Harry didn't answer, she went on, "That means have you ever had thoughts of-"

Harry cut her off, "I know what it means. And, um, I don't really know. I kinda have thought about what it had been like if I was never born, but I don't think I've ever wanted to actually die."

Dr. Bourge nodded and scribbled on her clipboard, "Have you ever attempted to harm yourself?"

Harry took a long moment to consider what he would say, "No," he answered simply.

Dr. Bourge's gaze sharpened, "Are you sure about that, Harry, dear?"

"Of course I haven't. I don't wanna hurt myself. That's stupid."

"You jumped out of a second story window. From my reports it said you had to have jumped out headfirst," she told him.

Harry rolled his eyes and grinned, "I keep tell all of you, I was flying! That's why I went out of window with my head first, because that's how you fly."

Dr. Bourge nodded again, "Harry, you've said repeatedly that you're a wizard, correct? How do you know?"

Harry sighed, as if he was tired of telling the story, "There's wizards and Muggles. Those are the two types of people. Wizards can do magic, only Muggles didn't like wizards a long time ago so wizards started hiding their magic. Now we got secret schools where we go to learn magic so that when we're older our magic is even better. My parents went to the school, Hogwarts, when they were my age. Then they got married and had to fight this dark wizard, Voldemort. Only, when he came to kill me and my whole family, he couldn't kill me because my mom loved me so much. But now he's back and he's gonna come kill me because he's mad that I defeated him when I was a baby. That's why I've been trying magic even before I go to Hogwarts so I can be _really_ good at it," he stopped and took a deep breath, looking and Dr. Bourge expectantly.

"That's quite a lot to have going on, Harry! I don't know how you manage," Dr. Bourge told him, "Now, Harry, I need to know, if I let you go back home are you going to try more magic?"

He looked at her like the boring Muggle she was, "Well, duh! I gotta beat Voldemort."

That sealed the deal. Harry would be going to St. Holly's mental health crisis center in the morning.

Harry was given back his regular clothes early in the morning, as soon as he had woken up. His doctor gave him a warning to keep calm so his skull would not get damaged in any horse play. Harry was escorted out of the hospital by a police officer and placed in the back of his police car. Harry stared out the barred window for the hour and a half drive it took to get to the mental hospital.

To the officer, the hospital looked like a short brick building that spanned out over an impressive size. He escorted the pale boy in the doors, careful not to look him in the eye. He hated bringing kids here. It was just too damn depressing.

To Harry, the brick building transformed into his Hogwarts. He felt the excitement rush through him. He was finally united with his beloved school.

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